A Māori-developed economic framework is challenging conventional thinking about how success is measured, arguing that the true value of investment cannot be captured by financial returns alone.
Developed by Dr Jay Whitehead, founder of Matatihi, Whakapapa Economics seeks to reshape economic evaluation by recognising the importance of whānau, relationships, culture, te taiao and future generations in creating long-term prosperity.
Rather than focusing solely on economic outputs or short-term gains, the framework asks decision-makers to consider how value flows through interconnected people, places and communities over time. It is built on the Māori principle of whakapapa, recognising that decisions made today have lasting impacts across generations.
Dr Whitehead says conventional economic models, including cost-benefit analyses and social return on investment (SROI) frameworks, often overlook the broader benefits generated through community initiatives. While they can measure direct financial outcomes, they frequently fail to account for the cascading effects that occur when whānau wellbeing improves.
Examples include healthcare services that extend beyond the clinic, such as a general practitioner visiting a family in their home, or community-led housing improvements that reduce stress, improve health outcomes and strengthen whānau resilience. While these initiatives may appear modest in isolation, their wider impacts often ripple through education, employment, housing stability and community wellbeing.
Whakapapa Economics was developed to make those interconnected benefits visible in a structured and evidence-based way.
The framework follows a six-stage process beginning with understanding the context of the kaupapa, including the people, place and relationships involved. It then maps the pathways through which value is created, identifies the specific changes being sought, looks for measurable signals that those changes are occurring, tests the strength of the available evidence and finally assesses the value that can be robustly demonstrated.
A key feature of the framework is that it deliberately avoids placing monetary values on sacred Māori concepts such as mana, mauri or whakapapa. Instead, it examines the practical outcomes these values help generate.
Those outcomes may include healthier homes, stronger educational participation, greater trust within communities, improved environmental stewardship and enhanced social cohesion. By measuring observable impacts rather than attempting to commodify cultural values, the framework aims to remain grounded in mātauranga Māori while maintaining analytical rigour.
The approach reflects a growing movement to broaden the way governments, iwi, community organisations and investors assess success. Increasingly, policymakers are looking beyond gross domestic product and traditional financial indicators towards measures that incorporate wellbeing, resilience and sustainability.
For Māori organisations, Whakapapa Economics provides a framework that aligns economic decision-making with tikanga Māori while remaining practical for use in planning, evaluation and investment.
As Māori economic development continues to expand across sectors including housing, health, education, environmental management and business, frameworks such as Whakapapa Economics may offer new ways to demonstrate the enduring value created by kaupapa Māori—value that extends well beyond balance sheets and into the wellbeing of future generations.
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